Earth Day – How SSC is doing its part

We have archived this page and will not be updating it.

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We have archived this page and will not be updating it.

You can use it for research or reference.

Earth Day is celebrated every April 22nd, marking how important it is to protect our environment. Two examples of how SSC is doing its part to be environmentally responsible are:

• operating enterprise data centres (EDCs), and
• refurbishing analog telephones.

Enterprise Data Centres

SSC operates two types of data centres: legacy data centres and enterprise data centres. Enterprise data centres are newer, larger, state-of-the art facilities that serve the entire federal government, designed to eliminate the need for planned maintenance shutdowns.

SSC has committed to reducing the Government of Canada’s carbon footprint by reducing data centre space and establishing state-of-the-art data centres with built-in green technology and energy efficiency.

How are EDCs more environmentally conscious? In 2018, for example, we opened our third EDC, EDC Borden. EDC Borden is designed to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Silver-level certification rating for new construction from the Canada Green Building Council. These are just a few ways EDC Borden benefits the environment:

Refurbishing Devices

SSC refurbishes analog telephones to keep them out of our landfills. Every year, approximately 14,000 wired telephones are refurbished and reissued through SSC’s Voice Managed Services team in the Networks, Security and Digital Services Branch. Some devices are beyond repair. Those devices are sent off to centres dedicated to recycling e-waste, and dismantled in search of recyclable parts.

SSC refurbishes, tests and recertifies pre-owned wired telephones, sometimes replacing parts such as the screen, the case or the power supply, making the devices as good as new and ready for immediate shipping to government offices that need them.